Making a Touchscreen PC Controller... can it be done?

[slapaham]

Still playing around with the small 5" PSOne TFTs I picked up for some little projects. I want to VGA one of them and add a small touchscreen panel I have. I think it would be quite nice to have it mounted onto the wall as a sort of 'media' controller... something that controls various things in the room such as computers/screens/lighting/etc... is this possible though? I've tried looking around for products that allow a PC to control other devices but haven't come across anything so far... anyone know of anything that might make this project feasible?

[Comtek]

try googling x10 or home automation

[Blanka]

Why not glue an iPod Touch to the wall? It has a good working touch interface and can be used as a WiFi remote for iTunes, AppleTV or XBMC.

[drventure]

Why not glue an iPod Touch to the wall

I've had that same thought. Looks like the price is coming down enough that it might make sense. Seems like that'd make a much nicer remote, plus web browser, etc. and it's portable, you don't have to mount it on the wall (Personally, I'd probably fashion up a mounting box with a built in power connector, but...)

[bkenobi]

I dug out my old iPAQ for this purpose.  It's got all the features that I need and a good screen.  Plus, since I already own it, it's no extra cost!  However, the problem I found (and a warning for others) is that the battery was dead and wouldn't take a charge.  The model I have (3835) has batteries that aren't easily replaceable and the licensed replacements are WAY too expensive.  Fortunately ebay has some for cheap, so I'm buying one there.

Anyway, if you want to go the PDA route, there are lots of apps that can help.  I'm not sure how active the iTouch homebrew area is, so there might be some good stuff there too.